"Mom, I'm hungry." Angie's husky voice rang out beside Yuan Doudou, leaving her defenseless. Helplessly, she put down the hoe in her hand, turned around, and smiled as she picked up Angie, who was not yet three years old.
"Anji is the best boy, we can't let him go hungry. Come home, Mom will make you something delicious."
The brighter the smile on Yuan Doudou's face, the more miserable she felt inside. Just three days ago, she was a delicate college student. She had only been writing the beginning of a thesis when she suddenly collapsed from exhaustion and ended up in this godforsaken place.
Not only was she reborn as a widow, but she also had a child to support, and to make matters worse, she had to take care of her ailing mother-in-law. It was a miserable experience.
The original owner, Yuan Doudou, devoted herself to taking care of the family, barely surviving on meager meals of coarse grains and wild vegetables. Three days ago, she went to the river to wash clothes. Just as she finished, she suddenly stood up, her vision went black, and she plunged headfirst into the river. She struggled in the water for a while before being rescued by Zhang Sande, who happened to be passing by, but it was too late.
That's how she got the chance to come over and take over this mess.
She thought it was just a joke playing on her, and that she would be back soon, like a dream. But three whole days had passed, and all she could see was a dilapidated thatched hut, a kang (heated brick bed) covered with a reed mat, and two neatly stacked quilts with patched blue cloth covers.
The entire house was spotless, not because the owners were particularly diligent, but because they were truly destitute.
Yuan Doudou was heartbroken, but she forced herself to remain calm so that the child wouldn't suspect anything.
"Cough cough cough." A violent coughing sound came from inside the room, each cough seemed to want to turn the heart, liver, spleen, and lungs over.
Anji, though small in stature, ran into the room like the wind, stood by the bed, and asked in a childish voice, "Grandma, are you alright?"
He imitated his mother's tone when asking his grandmother questions, acting like a grown-up, which amused Wang Shi on the bed.
Wang was no more than forty years old. Her skin was sallow, her eyes were large but lifeless with sunken eye sockets, and her cheeks were so thin that they were just skin and bones. Her smile did not seem friendly, but rather somewhat eerie.
Yuan Doudou didn't want to go in, but Anji was inside, so she forced herself to endure the discomfort and went into the inner room. The room was dimly lit and filled with an unpleasant odor, the kind of body odor that accumulates from not washing for a long time, which made her cover her mouth and nose.
"Mom, it's time to eat. I'll go cook." Yuan Doudou said hurriedly, then picked up Anji and walked out.
Yuan Doudou came out holding her breath, and only dared to breathe in the fresh air when she got outside.
Her actions left Angie completely bewildered. What was wrong with her mother? Had she also fallen ill like her grandmother?
He was very worried. What would happen if his mother also got sick? Thinking of this, his fine, soft eyebrows furrowed like caterpillars. He was already three years old and the only man in the family. He would work hard to support the family in the future.
After catching her breath, Yuan Doudou noticed that Anji was silent and had a very serious expression on his face. She was amused and squatted down, asking with a smile, "Anji, what's wrong?"
She was probably starving, and the thought of the remaining food at home made her worried again.
It's a small matter if adults go hungry, but it's a big deal if children go hungry, especially since Anji is still growing.
Anji wrapped his thin arms around Yuan Doudou's neck, his soft and cute voice carrying a hint of determination: "Mommy, when Anji grows up, he will take care of you and Grandma and won't let anyone bully you."
Yuan Doudou's heart trembled slightly, her nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes. She was the only child in her family. Although her parents loved her, she had always envied others who had brothers and sisters. When she saw other girls going out with their older brothers protecting them, she would silently pray that her parents could give her an older brother as well.
Now, she will never have a brother again, but she has gained a son who is so sensible at such a young age. She cried and then laughed.
No matter how tough things get in the future, she is determined to protect Angie and take good care of the family.
This can be seen as atonement for taking over the original owner's body.
“Anji, your mother is in good health and can still take care of you. As long as you are safe and sound, your mother will be at ease.” She thought of this era, in which the country was embroiled in war abroad for years, and at home there was widespread discontent, with people living in misery and uncertainty about their livelihoods being commonplace.
Never mind, let's focus on what's important right now.
The kitchen was small, containing only an earthen stove, a water vat, and a cutting board for preparing vegetables; there was nothing else.
Under the counter was a wooden bucket containing very little grain: half a bag of quinoa and a small amount of buckwheat flour.
There were some sweet potatoes next to the wooden bucket, which the original owner had dug up from elsewhere. The original owner had even argued with someone over these finger-thick sweet potatoes.
Nodding in agreement, for the sake of survival, even a blade of grass on the ground would be fought over if it were edible, let alone a sweet potato that could fill one's stomach.
Yuan Doudou only took two thin, long ones, washed them clean, put them in a pot, added water, and covered the pot with a lid.
There was a pile of dry grass behind the stove, consisting of wheat stalks and branches picked up from the grove, which would burn well when combined.
Yuan Doudou learned how to start a fire in just one day. It wasn't as convenient as matches, but with flint and steel, it wasn't too difficult. It was much better than she had imagined starting a fire by rubbing sticks together.
After the water boiled, Yuan Doudou took a bowl, put in some water, added a little buckwheat flour, stirred it, poured it into the boiling water, stirred it again, and the dark porridge was cooked.
She wanted to make another pancake, but there wasn't much flour left, so she couldn't do it anymore.
Dinner was ready, and the table for eating was in the main room. Yuan Doudou served the porridge. There were three bowls of porridge, but only Anji and Wang's bowls had sweet potatoes in them.
In the middle of the table was a small dish of fermented soybeans, which the original owner had fermented before the New Year.
"Anji, you're hungry, you eat first. I'll go call Grandma to come eat," Yuan Doudou said softly.
“No need, I can get up by myself.” Wang Shi said, coughing as she spoke from the inner room.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Doudou stopped, turned around and went out. When she returned, she was carrying a basin of clean water.
"Mother, please wash your hands." It was only on her third day here that she could barely manage to call her "Mother."
Wang's dead fish eyes stared straight at Yuan Doudou. She was still wearing a faded blue cotton jacket and gray trousers. Her dry yellow hair was tied up behind her head, and her skin was white with a yellowish tinge. Her almond-shaped eyes were still bright and piercing. She looked the same as before, but something seemed to have changed.
She was stunned for a while until Anji called out, "Grandma, you need to pay attention to hygiene to stay healthy." Only then did she come back to her senses and manage a weak smile.
These words sound like something the daughter-in-law taught her, but she wasn't a hygienic person before.
She didn't say anything, but carefully washed her hands before bending over and sitting shakily at the table.
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